November 30, 2015
The Castle of Ray-sur-Saône
Othon de la Roche
and the
Shroud of Turin
The castle of Ray-sur-Saône in Haute-Saône, Franche-Comté, France.
© Mario Latendresse, 2015
The hypothesis that Othon de la Roche acquired the Shroud of Turin, during the conquest of Constantinople in 1204, has been proposed for many centuries. We read that due to its great services during the 4th crusade, Othon was given the Shroud in 1204, kept it in Athens, and that it was brought back at the castle of Ray-sur-Saône or to the castle of his father.
But that hypothesis can be shown to be false. The misconception sprang from a lack of knowledge about the original documentary sources.